Some say it’s just the children, but I say it’s every individual that lives in a world of their own. It’s a perception with a pinch of fantasy that separates the way we look at things. And we are exposed to this beautiful creation when we are young. There’s no critical or complex breakdown, it’s just eye-catching colors and simple storytelling that gets us hooked to the content. And the content I’m referring to is cartoons.
Cartoons are generally directed towards children but not entirely. Even as an adult, I find ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’, and ‘Tom & Jerry’ to be as fascinating as it was when I was small. Yes, there might be a hint of nostalgia that creates this bias but it’s true – Cartoons are intriguing for viewers of any age. They influence us both positively and negatively. However, most cartoons with the edgy approach are scrutinized because of parents’ perspective towards not exposing their children to inappropriate content.
You see, discussions like these are something we all want to be a part of. And while we can all respect the content, tonality, and the protective approach, there’s an increasing need for conversation. Most people just label the content without thinking much and I feel there’s a need for a deeper conversation to see if every parent or adult perceives the content the same way or not.
Thus, today, we’ll be reviewing one of the smallest yet the most fascinating communities on the internet – r/cartoons.
My recent experience on r/cartoons
The most recent post that I upvoted on r/cartoons was about identification. The OP saw this cartoon at a Roundtable video and was curious to know the name of the cartoon. Within moments of updating this post, he got the answer – Hilda. Not only did he find the name of the cartoon, the person who replied also suggested that it’s available on Netflix. Another user jumped in and shared that roundtable is updating their content and plenty of new content has been added to the mix. Just by this small thread, you get insightful answers that you won’t generally get on any other community.
About r/cartoons – Community & Members
The community has 24,200 members out of which 90-150 members are online at any given time. This subreddit was created on August 13, 2009, and has tanked lately. The growth is not much but the discussions still happen and so you are highly unlikely to run out of content anytime soon.
How to access r/cartoons?
If you’re already a Reddit member, you can simply type ‘r/cartoons’ in your search bar and join the subreddit. However, if you aren’t well-versed with Reddit and are not present on the platform. You’ll need to create an account and confirm your email address. Once you do so, you’ll be able to follow subreddits, comment on posts, and even post anything on any of the subreddits.
Moderators of r/cartoons
Sure, r/cartoons is not the biggest community but there has to be a thorough check on content that’s posted on this sub. Spammers and promoters go to any limit to ensure that they share their links and attract some clout. Most of the time, their links are even filled with malware. And that’s the reason why mods need to protect the members of the community.
At the time of writing this review, I found six mods on r/cartoons – ‘billybobjorkins’, ‘Anonim97’, ‘NEOHCrusticus’, ‘AnokataX’, ‘valeyard10’, and ‘AutoModerator’. These mods ensure that everything that’s posted on this platform meets the rules and guidelines set by the community.
Why should you follow r/cartoons?
There’s a plethora of content on r/cartoons. You can participate in polls, interviews, reviews, suggestions, and can even share your fan art. Having fellow cartoon lovers in the community makes you be open without worrying about being judged. Getting recommendations and providing recommendations is one of the best parts of being on r/cartoons. The members are extremely welcoming, and they don’t put you down even if you have a generic query.
Community Engagement
r/cartoons has a much better engagement rate as compared to subs of the same size. More than two dozen posts are updated each day, and you’ll find more than 3-5 comments on every single one of them. As mentioned above, some posts are even able to attract more than 50 upvotes within a day and receive comments in double digits. Thus, I don’t have anything negative to point out in regard to the community engagement rate on r/cartoon.
Browsing & Navigation
Unlike other subs where the real-time member count is extremely low, r/cartoons have an impressive active member rate. More than 4% of its members are active at any given time, however, that doesn’t affect the performance. Since the number doesn’t surpass 150 users at a time, browsing and navigation are not much of a problem. You can check out posts, navigate using menus, and browse seamlessly without any discrepancies.
Reddit Gold
Though the community has a decent interaction ratio, I couldn’t find gold on any of the posts or in the comment section. There were some fascinating artworks that I saw but still, it wasn’t awarded any gold. This particular artist had drawn letter A-Z featuring a cartoon for every alphabet and though it amassed the major upvotes on the sub, it didn’t get any gold.
Related Subreddits
One of the exciting elements on this page is the ‘Related subreddit’ section. Herein, you find pages that are related to the niche you’re currently in. So, if you’re into cartoons, you’ll likely want to be a part of r/animation as well. With this section, you get three recommendations – r/animation, r/CartoonNetwork, and r/TheDragonPrince.
Filter by flair
If there’s something that lights up my face on a sub, then it has to be a well-designed filter by flair section. On r/cartoons, you’ll find eight important options – ‘News’, ‘Fanart’, ‘Interview’, ‘General Discussions’, ‘Older (Spoilers!), and Recent. Using these filters, you can check out the content that you’re interested in without having to scroll through a barrage of unnecessary posts.
Important rules you must know before joining r/cartoons?
If you want to be a part of r/cartoons, you must make sure that you follow the rules and guidelines set by the mods. Failure to do so will result in receiving a permaban which can be a major hindrance. So make sure to follow the rules below:
1. No being uncivil to other users
2. Self-promotion must follow the Reddit guideline
3. No piracy
4. No off-topic posts
5. Refrain from posting listicles
6. No bad/vague/false/misleading titles
7. No spoilers
8. No NSFW content
9. No Elsagate or Elsagate-like videos
Design
I like the design of this page primarily because it has ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’ in it, which I’m sure is one of our favorites cartoon characters. Apart from the distinctive icon, I also like the colorful cover image on this page. In addition to that, there are numerous filter by flair options followed by a Discord link right under the header. All of this just helps make the community look integrated.
Most Upvoted Content on this subreddit
1. I started a project called ‘ToonType’ – Building letters using cartoon characters and animated shows. Here is the 8th letter I’ve created. Z – Zim & Gir – 477 upvotes
2. Just a kid and his bestie – 452 upvotes
3. Here is all tom shapes after every fight – 320 upvotes
4. I finished the 11th letter for my ToonType project. (F for Futurama) – 311 upvotes
5. Halfway through my ToonType Project now. (13/26) G for Garfield (and Friends) – 270 upvotes
Most Upvoted Content 2020
1. One of the best shows to ever exists – 258 upvotes
2. One Final Goodbye these shows grew up with me from the first episode of Phineas and Ferb to the last episode of Steven Universe Future, I want to thank everyone who worked on these shows they are something I won’t forget – 257 upvotes
3. The 9th letter finished for my ToonType project. C – Courage the Cowardly Dog – 243 upvotes
4. Into the Scooby-Verse – 227 upvotes
5. Ahh. The nostalgic smell of childhood – 225 upvotes
Conclusion
r/cartoons with its distinctive theme, color, and posts are able to capture every member’s imagination. With shapes, vivid colors, and unique characters, they successfully narrate a story and keep you engaged. There is so much positivity out there in many of the posts where you can pick a lot of valuable traits from the lead and supporting character.
